The Pride of the Past
by SWA Windsong
Summary: FrUk. Inspired by a desire for Suave England. Arthur is trying to find a partner so he can adopt two children. He never imagined he'd have to face the man from his distant past - This is not finished and probably will never be finished if you're thinking of starting this.
1. Blind Date

"Well, here I am," thought Arthur to himself. After asking for a table for two, he sat waiting for his date. Honestly, the twins could be so demanding sometimes. Not that Arthur didn't want to find a date, he had just been awfully busy lately. On the contrary, he was actually excited at the prospect of going on a real date finally. He just wouldn't have chosen a blind date.

Ordering a cup of tea and a glass of water for the as of yet unknown individual, Arthur gazed at the menu, running his hands over the smooth, laminated pages. At least the twins had allowed him to choose the place, allowing Arthur to be a gentleman as he thought appropriate. Alfred had suggested a date searching for UFOs and Matthew had wondered if they shouldn't go to watch a hockey game instead, complaining that UFOs didn't exist. Those two would make for very interesting young men when they grew up, Arthur thought, smiling slightly to himself. He traced the edges of his cup of tea, allowing it to warm his fingertips and calm his fears. Hopefully the evening wouldn't be as awkward once this mystery person arrived.

He glanced up from his cup of tea, and noticed a very colorful individual flow through the entrance of the restaurant with an air of graceful superiority. The...Arthur believed it was a man...glided up to the hostess, kissed her hand causing the lady to blush, and they began to engage her in conversation. Arthur tilted his head as he noticed the individual was none other than his childhood….friend, Francis.

Well, well, well. Sitting back in his chair, Arthur folded his hands in his lap, refraining from crossing his arms and allowed himself to study his old acquaintance before Francis noticed he was there. The Frenchman was dressed more effeminately than he had during their childhood. Currently, he was sporting tight black dress pants, a scarlet flowing top with long sleeves and a gossamer white scarf. He also seemed to be wearing some sort of boot with a small heel. On any other male, Arthur might have found it a bit odd, but he knew Francis. He shivered slightly as he remembered the time Francis had tried to cut his hair when they were children. Arthur's hair actually turned out fairly decent, but the bastard had given him a flower crown. Originally, Arthur actually thought it was cute, until the other kids had started making fun of him.

Arthur was still staring when he noticed that the hostess Francis had been chatting with was pointing in Arthur's direction. Francis turned and it suddenly occurred to Arthur that this was his blind date.

It took all of Arthur's self-restraint to keep from rolling his eyes, his jaws clenched imperceptibly. There was no way the twins could have possibly known about their history, but that excuse didn't stop the situation from being utterly frustrating. The Frenchman raised an eyebrow at Arthur before sauntering over to the table. He actually pulled off his otherwise bizarre wardrobe fairly well, given the way the shirt flowed and matched his gait added to his wavy hair which was long enough to make the outfit seem perfectly natural.

"I never expected to see you here, Mon Cher," derision dripping from his voice as he crossed his arms and leaned on one leg. A small smirk touched the corner of his lips. Arthur gripped his hands in his lap, squeezing them hard enough to feel his knuckles grind together.

"That makes two of us. I don't usually do blind dates, for obvious reasons, but I couldn't say 'no' this time." Arthur replied, keeping his clenched hands hidden in his lap. It took a great deal of effort to prevent his face from betraying any emotion other than disdain. He had yet to break eye contact after first realizing Francis was his company.

"And why couldn't you refuse, out of curiosity?" Francis asked as he uncrossed his arms and put one hand on his hip. It was probably going to be difficult to convince this man to stay, especially considering Arthur wasn't sure he wanted Francis to stay in the first place. But, he supposed it was worth a try. He couldn't very well go home now and completely disappoint the twins without an attempt at being civil.

Arthur looked down at his tea, "The two kids I sponsor at the adoption agency are desperate for me to find a significant other, going so far as to set up a blind date all on their own." Thinking of those two brothers now caused a smile to begin tugging at the edges of his mouth, even despite the presence of his slightly irritated company. Again, Arthur focused on the warmth emanating from the cup, rolling his hands across the smooth porcelain.

At that Francis finally sat down in the chair opposite Arthur, "Ah, I suppose you mean Matthieu and his brother. What was his name?"

"Alfred." Arthur didn't look up, choosing instead to continue focusing on his teacup.

"Ah yes, Alfred. He barged into my classroom once when the other kids had been teasing Matthieu after I put flowers in his hair."

"Wha…you subjected little Mattie to that torture too!" Arthur leaned forward, furrowing his eyebrows finally redirecting his attention towards Francis. How dare the stupid frog. If he was going to have to be a gentleman towards this man, Arthur wasn't sure he could accomplish that feat.

"Oh please," Francis waved a hand dismissively, "Matthieu was the one to suggest it. I even tried to warn him that the other kids might tease him. I did fail to mention that it was you I was referring to from past experiences though. If I had, maybe we wouldn't be here." Francis' smirk never left his face.

Arthur sat back in his chair and sighed, feeling the tight ball that had form in his chest lessen. "Well, you tried I guess. At least Matthieu has his brother to stand up for him. Heaven knows Alfred won't tolerate anyone even suggesting his brother is less than perfect," he said, ignoring the insult thrown at him.

"Yes, and he handled being teased better than you did."

"I know, I'm actually really sorry for that."

"Oh, an apology nearly 20 years later. I've been waiting with baited breath. To this day, I still have to check my cup of tea for frogs if someone else makes it."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I still have nightmares when I get my hair done by a French barber."

"Let's not talk about the past, shall we?" The thought of Arthur having nightmares from a simple hair cut seemed to please Francis slightly, but he was kind enough to change the topic back to Matthew though. "It's a shame the twins had to be in separate classrooms. Matthieu will not stop talking about his big brother. Although I have enjoyed Matthieu as a student. He's very bright and kind to the other children."

Arthur smiled slightly at the compliment directed at the two boys. At least, Francis liked them. And it partially explained how the two boys had set up this date. Arthur's eyebrows furrowed again as he tried in vain to figure out the rest of the blind date puzzle.

"How did Matthew convince you to come anyway? An 8 year old child telling you to go on a blind date?"

Francis crossed his legs and draped one arm over the back of his chair, still smirking, but it was not directed at Arthur like it had been at first. Francis looked down at the table as he started explaining, "He overheard me complaining to a fellow teacher about how difficult it was to find a decent boyfriend. A few days later, he drew me a picture and wrote nothing more than the time and date with the promise of meeting one of the best men Matthieu had ever known. Obviously he hasn't met very many people." The faint scent of cologne reached Arthur nose as he inhaled deeply.

"What was the picture?" Arthur found himself leaning lightly on the table feeling the supportive firmness beneath his arm, eager to hear more about the two kids that had captured his heart, even if it cost him a bit of his pride in the process.

"It was a picture of me sitting at a table with a question mark in the opposite chair and a large stack of pancakes in the middle. I still don't understand why he wanted it to be a surprise though."

Arthur scoffed, partly at the pancakes which were so very like Matthew, and partly at having to explain why they wanted it to be a surprise.

"It's my birthday present from them. They were dead set on it being a surprise. Alfred accidentally let it slip that they were going to get me a date, although I may have bribed him with a Twinkie. Matthew actually cried and wouldn't let him say with who though. I ended up having to explain what a blind date was in order to get Matthew to calm down."

It was Francis' turn to snort, "Little rascals. Tell me, why did they want to get you a date for your birthday? Why not just glued macaroni on paper, surely you're not so great to deserve more than that?"

"Well, they're living in a foster home at the moment, waiting to be adopted. I went to the agency to try and arrange for them to be placed in my care, but the agency wasn't going to let me adopt them without a significant other, although I am very lucky that they accepted gay couples at all. Currently, I'm just giving money to their foster parents to help them afford everything they need, but I try to visit when I can." Arthur explained, again ignoring yet another abrasive comment.

Francis' eyes finally softened and his smirk turned into a genuine smile, "Be careful not to poison them with your frog tea."

Arthur allowed himself to roll his eyes, but laughed softly despite the constant bashing. It was almost fun to be honest. And truth be told, he really was a terrible cook. Even the twins hated it. "Actually, I had planned on hiring a maid or someone to do the cooking. Otherwise Alfred would spend every day at fast food restaurants to avoid my cooking."

"I'm sure you can figure out how to make something they like. If not, they can always come to the restaurant where I work part time. It's a bit of a hobby more than for the extra pay, although it does help. It's that little Italian restaurant the "Pasta Angelo".

"Angle haired pasta?"

Francis snorted again, "Close. The young man that runs it, well, let's just say he likes pasta a little too much. It actually means 'Pasta Angle'."

"Well, it does sound nice. I once tried to make them alfredo and it didn't end very well. Maybe if they tried it at a real restaurant, they would stop having night mares about an alfredo monster."

Francis decided to stay for dinner, despite being originally dismayed to find that Arthur was his date at first, although he had claimed he was staying because he wasn't going to pass up a free meal when Arthur offered to pay. It surprised Arthur how easy it had been to talk to the figment of his erroneous past. He was glad for the opportunity to make amends for how he had acted as a child. Back then, he hadn't understood the importance of being a gentleman. Whether or not Francis believed he had changed or was actually sorry, Arthur did not know, but he had at least gotten a chance to say his piece. They shared their meal and managed to be mostly civil human beings towards each other. Arthur paid the tab and they both rose to leave.

"It wasn't an awful evening, Francis." Arthur bowed slightly as he ushered the Frenchman through the door. He couldn't help but glance towards Francis' back as he glided out of the building.

"I saw that," derision yet again laced amidst the slight accent.

Arthur stood up straight, giving Francis his best innocent expression. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I saw you looking at my ass as you held the door for me." Francis raised an eyebrow as he stopped to face him. Arthur's heart skipped a beat at being called out. He'd never been caught before.

Arthur leaned in towards Francis, noticing him shiver slightly as Arthur breathed into his ear, "Why else do you think men hold the door for their girlfriends if not to admire them from behind?"

As he leaned back, he saw Francis' lip twitch upward and his eyes narrow just slightly before adding, "Really though, you look excellent tonight. I couldn't resist. Please allow me to indulge myself just a tiny bit."

"Oh, alright." Francis rolled his eyes, but a full smile had found its way onto his face.

As they parted ways for the evening, Arthur felt his chest swell and the muscles in his face refused to allow his customary scowl as he reflected on the dinner with the man he had once tormented for a bad haircut.


	2. Nails and Passion

Ok guys. You're so lucky I'm not doing anything right now and you get these so quickly. This story is actually turning out very profound and I've thought of some really good material to make the characters more evenly matched. This chapter, you get some more of Arthur being snarky and holy hell did he turn out smooth as fuck. Don't worry. I didn't forget he's just as sassy as Francis.

Anyway, if you're one of those people who wants Suave England more than anything, it's my opinion that fanfic is an excellent place to find it. Prepare yourselves for adorable fluff and gut wrenching heartbreak and absolutely the most deep love story I've come up with so far (not saying much, I've only just started writing. But I love it). We're taking this story on quite a ride. Originally, I had planned on 3, maybe 4 chapters. Nope, it's getting longer. I may not finish it all before rotations start, but I won't leave you at a horrible place, I promise.

Quick shout out to thatconvictcolony on Tumblr. Thank you for helping me edit and your gushing gives me life and helps me to continue this. I cannot thank you enough.

* * *

"Here I am, yet again," Arthur once again thought to himself. This time though, he wasn't expecting Francis to join him like he had last time. Instead Arthur was enjoying a quiet meal all by himself. The waiter, a light-hearted Italian kid, had asked if he was expecting anyone. It had been quite the internal entertainment for Arthur as he gave a negative reply, and the boy visibly saddened. No, Arthur was not expecting someone to accompany him to dinner tonight.

It was taking Arthur all of his self-restraint not to give away why he was at the restaurant by himself. He ordered a cup of tea and, after perusing the menu for an exceptional length of time so as to appear to be a difficult customer, he finally ordered a simple chicken alfredo, specifying that he wanted the chicken grilled and not fried, even though it was already on the menu that way, and then asked the waiter to see if it was possible to put more of the sauce on the pasta. Arthur had known exactly what he was going to order the whole time. The additional instructions were merely an added bonus to his plan.

It had been nearly a week since Arthur's date with Francis, but for some reason, he found that he could not stop thinking about the bloody frog-face. Arthur had gone to see the twins the day after their dinner and of course they asked how his date had gone. It had been so painful to have to tell them that he didn't think a relationship was going to work out. Arthur just couldn't imagine that a second date with Francis would go as smoothly as the first. They had always ended up bickering in the past anyway. Why would it be any different this time?

But that did not stop Arthur's mind from constantly thinking about that evening with Francis. It had been so long since he had seen him. The feminine dress had thrown him at first, but as the evening had progressed and the more he thought about it in the following week, Arthur realized that he thought it suited Francis. He even found that he thought it was attractive. Not to mention the way Francis had grown his hair out and drifted elegantly instead of walking.

Arthur shook his head to clear the thoughts that were betraying him. He had to play the part of the obnoxious patron tonight.

"Excuse me, sir. But there's not nearly enough sauce on this pasta and the noodles are overcooked. Would you mind if I had a word with the chef?"

The poor boy's eyes widened to an alarming size, the curl in his hair twitched in fright. "Of….of course. J..just give me a moment."

Arthur bit the inside of his cheek to prevent the smirk that so desperately wanted to make its way to his face as he watched the young man practically tip toe back to the kitchen. He sat back in his chair and waited. It had taken a lot of effort to make sure this plan was going to work out properly, and if his information had been wrong….but no….no time to think of that. If it was wrong he would simply brush off the remarks and continue with him meal. He was a customer after all.

There was a loud shout from the kitchen and Arthur knew his information had been right. It had taken him two days to find out when Francis worked and even more time to figure out when he was the head chef and was most likely to be the one to prepare him meal. Thank goodness for that.

Arthur waited in amusement, sitting back in his chair looking as superior as he could manage even though he was close to losing it internally. Francis stormed out of the kitchen, his face was furrowed in anger, but he stood upright and walked with a steady, purposeful gait. The moment the door opened Arthur's chest tightened in anticipation. Everything was going according to plan and now was the exciting part.

Francis stopped dead in his tracks as he snapped his attention to Arthur's table. The look on the man's face sent a burning sensation down Arthur's back as he gave a small wave to acknowledge that he was, in fact, the one that had summoned Francis.

Once Francis had unfrozen, he walked up to Arthur with an incredulous expression plastering his face. "What the hell are you doing here, mon cher?"

Arthur felt his mouth give way as he could not restrain his amused smile any longer. "Well I figured I'd try this place out before I subjected the twins to this abysmal food. Honestly, you call yourself a chef?"

"Oh please, I knew that dish was perfect when I sent it out." Francis knew Arthur was just toying with him. It had been the exact reason that Arthur so desperately wanted to see him again.

"Oh really? And why would you assume that?"

"I didn't assume. I just remembered…uh…well I remembered making it." A blush spread across Francis' cheeks. Arthur's head burst into colorful dance at the thought of Francis paying enough attention to his miniscule comment about alfredo from their previous date. Maybe this idea wasn't terrible after all.

"Actually, I came here to ask if you would be so kind as to help me try and make something for Matthew and Alfred. I've had a terrible time attempting it myself."

Francis clasped his hands together, "Oh absolutely, I'd love to teach you how to cook…you know, so the twins can have a decent meal for once."

Arthur smirked, "Alright then, how about tomorrow evening?"

"It's a date." Francis' own smirk finally finding its way to his features, daring Arthur to make a snide remark. Arthur obliged.

"Oh please, a date with you sound absolutely dreadful. Honestly, how could I possibly stand you in my own kitchen if it weren't for your cooking skills and the prospect of pleasing the twins."

"It's your loss." Francis turned to walk back to the kitchen, lifting his hand in a gesture of indifference.

Before Francis had gotten out of earshot, Arthur added, "Please wear something suitable."

* * *

"Don't squeeze too hard, mon cher."

"You mean like this?"

"Ooh that's good, just like that."

"Shit." Arthur cursed as the icing he had been piping onto the cupcakes dribbled down the side.

"Don't worry, just wipe it off with your finger." Francis stood behind Arthur giving him instructions. They had been at this for several hours now, managing to make several different concoctions. They had started off with a salad, just to practice cutting vegetables and whatnot. Next was a simple plate of spaghetti with homemade meatballs and marinara sauce. Arthur had gotten along so well with Francis' instruction that they had eaten part of their creations for lunch together. Might as well make sure it really was as delicious as it looked. The food had been good enough that Francis decided they should try some cupcakes. Arthur hadn't originally planned on having Francis stay for that long, but he hadn't had this much fun in ages either.

"Right, so this is the part where I add that frog, correct?" Arthur smirked as he licked the icing from his fingers, looking Francis directly in the eyes as he did so. There was a glorious sense of accomplishment as he watched Francis' eyebrows twitch. Arthur slowed his sucking, allowing his fingers to slowly track his lips as they left his mouth, never taking his eyes off of Francis' suffering.

"Really, you can't keep doing that to me. Pair a snarky comment with such a seductive gesture. I'll lose my pants at this rate."

Arthur's eyebrow tugged upwards as he gloated. "Not yet, dear. It's only the second time we've seen each other since those awful childhood days."

"Please do not bring that up." Francis grabbed the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. Arthur was determined to do this right. Maybe Francis was used to sleeping with people on the second date, but that wasn't how Arthur wanted to do this. Especially not since their rocky start, and especially not after what happened the last time he slept with someone he had just met. No, Arthur wanted to actually get to know Francis. Really get to know him, to fall more deeply for him, to make it mean something.

Arthur started clenching his fists trying to relieve some of the stress that had built up from piping the icing onto the cupcakes. It really had been a long day, but it was so nice to have a day off from his job. It was even nicer to not have to be entirely proper all the time. Ribbing Francis all day had been a guilty pleasure. Arthur had done his best to keep up the gentleman act on their first date and not say anything too mean. He had to give it a fair shot for the twins. But after Francis had stayed for the entire date and after realizing he had paid attention to Arthur for the whole evening, it had been all too easy to start sassing the man as equally as Francis sassed him. Even so, Arthur had committed more to their evening than he had originally intended and it was starting to get to him. Francis, even noticed.

"How about you let me finish up." Francis took the frosting bag from Arthur, brushing his hands as he grabbed the end to keep the icing from spilling out of the end. Arthur's hand burned from the contact, but he didn't move a muscle to indicate that he had felt anything.

"Afraid I'm going to burn the place down?" Arthur glanced sideways at Francis, wiping his hands on the apron he had been forced to wear.

Francis lip twitched upward on one side, "Seeing how you handled the salad, it would not surprise me if you burned down your house making cereal!"

Arthur's mouth gaped open, eyebrows furrowed in mock anger, "You said it was delicious, how dare you. Out of my house this instant."

The pout that Francis gave Arthur was all too adorable, "But think of the children," he said, batting his eyelashes as his lower lip stuck out in an exaggerated pout.

Rolling his eyes Arthur turned to go sit on the couch, taking off the apron in the process. "Fine, you can stay. But only because of the children."

Arthur plopped down onto the cushion, sinking into the deep fabric, resting his arms on the top of the couch. He glanced back into the kitchen where he could see Francis' hips through the doorway, swaying slightly as he leaned over the cupcake almost as if he were dancing along to a song in his head. To distract himself, Arthur decided to flick on the television, flipping through the channels quickly but paying more attention to the ever so slight sounds coming from the kitchen. He managed to stop on the channel that was playing Eurovision. Arthur hadn't even realized it was May, work had been so busy.

"Ooh, is that Eurovision?" Francis called from the kitchen, peeking out of the doorway.

"Yes it is. I didn't even realize it was time." Arthur admitted.

"Ok, give me just a second to finish these up." Francis turned back to the task he had been given.

Arthur smirked to himself, "Are you going to stay then?"

"Of course, no point in going home if the show is here, right?" Ok, Arthur had to give him credit for that logic, although he was fairly certain he was going to have to stop Francis from trying anything if he stayed too long. Maybe he shouldn't have chosen to invite the man into his home on their second date, but it had seemed like a good idea given their shared interest in the twins. The thought of having to shoot him down again was starting to take a toll on Arthur and he felt a cold brick of dread settle in his stomach at the idea.

Of course he wanted to sleep with the man, Francis was drop dead gorgeous. He had even taken Arthur's suggestion to wear something suitable a little too much to Arthur's liking, wearing tight red pants and a soft, dark blue, lacey top. Tying the entire outfit together was a striped belt that hung loosely around Francis' waist, showing off his figure. It amazed Arthur how he could pull off such an outlandish look and make it seem fitting, the blouse draped over his shoulders matched so nicely with his long hair and the look continued in that same fashionable and breathtakingly colorful way all the way down to his feet. The colors should not have matched, Francis has somehow managed to blend everything so nicely.

Despite the magnetizing appearance that was slowly disintegrating Arthur's willpower to be a gentleman, he also wanted to have a relationship. Something that would last, and to do that he needed to base their relationship off of something other than just sex. It would be absolutely crucial in order to convince the adoption agency he could take care of the twins. But more than that, the fleeting relationships that revolved around sex simply did not appeal to Arthur. His stomach churned at the thought of his last "relationship".

Francis finally finished in the kitchen and joined Arthur on the sofa as a French performance started. The man singing had hair that defied gravity, sticking straight up into the air, although his wardrobe was relatively normal with some colorful plaid and a tie that did not match, the same could not be said for the rest of the musicians. One wasn't wearing a shirt at all and the pink and blue striped shirt that another man was wearing contrasted sharply with the neon spotted electric guitar he was playing. As expected of Eurovision.

"Are they singing about mustaches?" Arthur inquired to Francis. He could understand every single word that was being spoken in French, but it was the assumption that this guy was actually singing about mustaches that Arthur couldn't believe.

Francis gave a very French laugh as he said, "Oui, although why anyone would want a mustache, I have absolutely no idea. Those are so garish."

Arthur lifted his eyebrow at Francis' own stubble that was only covering his chin, "Really? I think you would look dashing in a mustache." The sarcasm that dripped in his voice was probably a bit overdone, but it was fun to tease.

"Oh please, it would contrast terribly with all of my outfits. How Conchita can pull it off so well, I never understood. I have a more subtle approach." He said as he took a bottle of clear nail polish from the satchel he brought with him. So that's why his nails looked so pristine.

It was nearly impossible for Arthur to tear his eyes away from Francis as he started painting his nails while watching the show. The focus and care Francis' was putting into his task was strangely enthralling. Arthur noticed, however, when he tried to switch hands, it was taking more time and the hand holding the brush had started to shake slightly. Glancing back up at his face, Arthur sighed as he saw Francis biting his lower lip in concentration, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Why don't you let me do that?" Arthur said, gently taking the brush from Francis' hands and lightly laying the hand Francis had yet to paint onto his own, ignoring the slight tingling sensations that the touch sent through his arm.

"Are you really going to paint my nails for me?" Francis' voice was filled with what seemed to be hopeful longing. Arthur looked him in the eye and was left speechless by the sadness that tinged the man's face. It took him a second to compose himself and he turned his attention back to Francis' hands before answering.

"Of course I will, they'll look so much nicer if the strokes are steady." It was obvious to Arthur that Francis had never before been treated this way, it just seemed like the proper thing to do to Arthur. Of course, he would help. Why was it even a question?

"I just…everyone always laughs when I do this sort of thing." Again, Arthur paused to look up at Francis. This time he did not look away as he asked a question.

"Does it make you happy?"

"Of course! It makes me feel fabulous. That's why I keep doing it despite the jeering." And that's all there was to it. Arthur returned his attention to Francis' hand.

"No one should be laughing if it makes you happy." The tension that Arthur created with that statement was palpable. He could feel Francis' eyes burning into his forehead as he painting his nails. They said nothing else until he had finished and Arthur pressed a light kiss onto Francis' hand to indicate that he was done.

"See? It looks much better. Would you like me to paint your toes as well?"

"Please!" Francis said in earnest. Arthur smiled, more to himself than Francis though. The sound of the various Eurovision songs drifted through the air as Arthur spent the next few minutes carefully painting Francis' toes. It didn't take too long before Francis finally relaxed back into his chair. Arthur focused on the task at hand, breathing in the faint chemical smell from the nail polish. He took exceptional care with the brush strokes and made sure the job was smooth and covered all of the edges evenly, closing off the rest of the world as he focused on Francis' perfectly trimmed nails.

"There. All done. Now don't mess them up, I'm quite proud of my handiwork."

When he was finished, Arthur joined Francis back on the sofa, sitting closer than he had earlier but still leaving enough of a gap so as not to be considered rude. Francis, however, didn't seem to want to leave any space between them, leaning in towards Arthur. Arthur felt his hot breath on his ear before he heard him whisper, "Are you sure there's no activity that may mess them up now but would make redoing them later worth the trouble?"

At that, Francis nibbled lightly on Arthur's ear. Cool air was sucked between his teeth as he tried to suppress the tingling sensation the action had sent streaming through his body. Francis paused to wait for a response, face still too close to Arthur's own.

Arthur leaned back slightly as he turned to face Francis, eyebrows only half raised as he said, "The activity itself may be worth it, but it's not proper on a second date."

Francis groaned loudly and turned back to the television. "If you say so, mon cher. But you can't keep me waiting forever."

Ah, what the hell.

"How about I give you a small taste then." Arthur said, narrowing his eyes and placing his hand Francis' cheek to turn his face back towards him and swiftly pushing his lips against Francis'.

It took Francis a small moment before his mouth gave way, lifting his hands to Arthur's face as he began to move his lips, forming them around Arthur's own, finding a tight fit where they rested against Arthur's mouth. The warmth of Francis' soft lips coupled with the electric touch of his hand released a million butterflies into Arthur's stomach. He slowly pulled away and gazed deeply into Francis' burning blue eyes, making Arthur's face heat up with desire. Arthur pushed the feeling back down his throat.

"That was the best tasting thing you've made all day."


	3. Chapter 3

So, I have some words.

First off, I'm terribly sorry. For a lot of things. I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long, and I'm sorry because I will not be continuing this fic. I flip flopped for a long time about whether or not I wanted to be vindictive and finish this out of spite, or just stop. I've chosen to stop, but I will do what I can to compensate for not finishing because it sucks when writers do that. I'm not sure if this is the best way to go about it, but it's the best thing I could think of.

I'm going to post the next few chapters worth of drafts I had written. And then I'll lay out what I had planned for the story at the end. The idea is that hopefully it won't be a burning question in your head. I do ask that you keep in mind these are drafts. There's plenty of stuff I would have changed, namely some characterization issues that I never bother dealing with on the first go around. My writing style is that I just plow through, no matter how ugly it is the first time. If it slows me down, I stop caring and makes notes to fix it later. So some stuff is going to be bad, or at least sound bad. But that's the price I'm willing to pay so you can at least have what I've got so far.

The other thing I want you to understand is that when I get to the end where I'm explaining what I had plans for in the future, all of that was still flexible when I stopped writing. I generally have a frame of reference for going forward, but sometimes, when I get there, my plan changes.

Oh, and I probably have some notes in here...they'd be in brackets. I'm not sure how many of those I got rid of.

Lastly, this story ended up being about emotional abuse. I hadn't originally intended it that way (and it's not FrUk abuse so don't worry your little head.), hell I hadn't originally intended it to be this long, but it's a theme that incorporated itself into the story. At first, I didn't have a direction at all. I had been dealing with my own breakups with relationships that were emotionally abusive when I was writing this, so I think it just found its way in on accident. But I wanted you guys to be aware, especially if it's a trigger for you. You'll start seeing hints and references of abuse this chapter, but nothing fully blown until later so it might be safe. It's up to you.

* * *

It was a lovely day to be outside. The bright sunshine filtered through the sparse foliage of the trees as Arthur made his way from table to table, tasting the different wines from various countries.

The festival was something Arthur had been looking forward to for the past few weeks. It was only so often that Arthur took deliberate time off for himself, but he enjoyed learning about the different wines and the outdoor setting was calming. He had considered inviting Francis, but decided against it since their most recent date had only been two days ago. Arthur figured it was better to space everything out. Furthermore, he was struggling with the fact that Francis was being so insistent on sleeping with him. It was to the point where he wasn't sure if he wanted to have a third date with the man. There was no denying that Arthur was physically attracted to Francis and thought he was enjoyable to be around, but emotionally he wasn't prepared.

Besides, it was nice to get out on his own every once in a while and enjoy the weather that was typically pleasant this time of year, if somewhat unpredictable. Arthur breathed in the clean air, glad to be outside of the city. The sun warmed his face and a slight breeze drifted through his hair.

As he was meandering between the tables, Arthur noticed the Italian kid from the restaurant where Francis worked. The boy was selling bottles of Italian wine from the restaurant at one of the tables and handing out samples to interested customers. Arthur figured he should apologize for his intrusion into the restaurant and the way he had treated the waiter the day he had surprised Francis.

"Hello, Feliciano." Arthur had actually memorized the name from the tag he was wearing when he was Arthur's server. Feliciano turned towards him and smiled brightly.

"Oh, Arthur! Fancy seeing you here!" Feliciano seemed slightly guarded when he spoke, but his smile did not waver. Arthur figured it was due to his actions at the restaurant.

"I just wanted to apologze for my behaviour the other night. I was just trying to surprise Francis. I didn't mean to be rude, but the acting was necessary. I hope you don't mind." Arthur said in an attempt to explain himself.

"Not at all! I just wasn't expecting to see you here. I didn't mind! In fact, Francis spent the rest of the night in a really good mood. He's been so down lately since he's had such horrible luck with finding a nice boyfriend. I felt bad for him." Feliciano looked down at his shoes.

"Well, I'm glad I could help. Now, tell me, what are you doing here selling wine? I thought you were a waiter." Arthur inquired. It was probably a good idea to set up a relationship with the people who were close to Francis, just in case he decided to try another date. He'd have to think about it for a little bit though, but it didn't hurt to be amicable. Besides, the restaurant had excellent service and good food. Arthur would probably go back anyway.

"I am! But I also own the restaurant. I wait tables because I like interacting with the customers! My brother likes to make wine though, and thus the signature Pasta Angel wine was born!" Feliciano really was an interesting character, pleasant to talk to and polite. Plus, he seemed perpetually happy. The way he introduced himself and his brother made Arthur smile. Even the night Feliciano had waited on his table, it had taken until Arthur had complained about the meal before he had finally showed signs of dismay that his patron was being difficult. Arthur was almost disappointed he couldn't make Feliciano upset faster, he had tried really hard to play the part of the annoying customer. He even went so far as to demand new silverware immediately.

Arthur couldn't help but notice that Feliciano continuted to be nervous around him. He wondered again if it was because of the night at the restaurant, but he really couldn't see how. Feliciano had treated him so well that night and seemed to accept his apology today. Arthur wondered vaguely if it had something to do with Francis, but the thought wasn't fully formed, so he just kept talking and trying to be polite.

"It's a lovely day out, it's been a while since we had nice weather like this." It was true. The skies had been overcast for days, and suddenly the weather had brightened up. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"It is!" Feliciano agreed cheerfully, "But, I'm a little bit overrun at the moment." Arthur could see that. The boy had been handing out wine bottles and samples and trading money with customers the whole time Arthur had talked to him. Yet somehow he was still chatting enthusiastically, if not somewhat resigned. Arthur just couldn't drop the fact that Feliciano didn't seem to accept his apology for being rude. Why on earth wouldn't the boy stop looking over his shoulder like he was expecting something to jump out at him?

"Is everything alright then? Why isn't there someone helping you with your booth?" Concern was always a good way to show that you were trustworthy. At least it had worked in the past. But for whatever reason, Feliciano still seemed jumpy.

"I..I um. Well. I had help. But they…well they didn't seem up for the task today, so I sent them home. Although, I'm not sure they left." Feliciano said, only looking at Arthur from the corner of his eyes with his head downturned. That fact actually did concern Arthur. The poor kid was having a hard enough time as it is. What sort of staff would run off and leave his boss to sell wine when it was clearly busy? Not to mention that it seemed like talking about the person leaving was difficult for Feliciano, indicating that the person had may have been rude and upset him before they left.

Just then, Arthur heard a shout from across the small field, "You!" He froze as he realized who the voice belonged to, unable to comprehend why it was so angry. Instead of turning, he just stared straight ahead, looking at nothing. Everything started to click into place. This was why Feliciano was so nervous to talk to him, he reasoned. Although what was motivating the man's anger, Arthur could not find a feasible solution.

Francis barreled up to Arthur who finally turned around when Francis was within striking distance, afraid he would run into him if he didn't slow down. It may not have been the best idea though, because Francis latched onto the front of Arthur's shirt and pulled him down heavily. Judging by the way he was using Arthur for support, Francis was probably drunk off of the wine. Arthur looked over to Feliciano for answers, but the boy was shaking so hard he didn't even notice that Arthur was looking at him begging for information.

"Why didn't you call me back?" Francis practically shouted, drawing the stares of a few people who were close by. Arthur felt his face redden as it became apparent that Francis was going to start a scene if Arthur didn't manage to calm him down or get him away from the crowd.

"I haven't had my phone nearby. Why don't we get you home? You look like you've had enough work for the week." True enough he reasoned. He wasn't about to tell Francis that he'd actually considered not calling him back because the man would probably really start a scene. He had no idea that Francis was this upset though as he had only called once. Arthur half dragged Francis to his vehicle. Luckily, Francis had calmed down enough that he wasn't shouting anymore and Arthur had a chance to get them out of public view. Francis did complain the entire way to the car, although most of it Arthur couldn't understand since he was too busy keeping them on course.

After putting Francis into the passenger's seat, Arthur saw Feliciano running towards them. He waited outside of the car, hoping for a little information. Feliciano had been with Francis earlier in the day after all, and had hinted that he witnessed Francis' breakdown. As he watched Feliciano run up to him, Arthur had to wonder if the boy ever ran for any reason at all or if he just wasn't taking this seriously.

"Are you taking him home?" Feliciano asked. He hadn't been paying attention.

"Yes. Francis told me where he lives, I'll make sure he gets home safe." Arthur looked over at Francis who was leaned up against the dash of his car. His shoulder were shaking and it appeared that he was crying. Arthur sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. Maybe trying to date Francis had been a bad idea. They hadn't fought yet, but now it seemed their old habits may have been coming back.

"You don't hate him?" The question only confused Arthur. Sure, maybe Francis wasn't exactly what he had been expecting, but it wasn't what Arthur would classify as bad. Just something he didn't know if he wanted.

"Why on earth would I hate him?" Arthur asked. Feliciano dropped his shoulders and laughed a little with a smaller smile than he had worn in the restaurant, but the fear he had shown earlier had finally worn off.

"Well, I wasn't sure. Francis was worried that you were. He wouldn't stop talking about it all day, and usually I'm the talkative one, so that was strange. But he kept saying that you were perfect and that he thought he had finally found a nice guy but since you weren't returning his phone cals he got more and more and more worried as the day went on until he finally started drinking and then you showed up and oh dear this is a mess. I'll leave you to it then! Please take care of my chef, he's the best we've got!"

Feliciano's speech left Arthur in a bit of a daze as he tried to interpret everything the Italian had said as he had just rambled off a world of useful information in a way that suggested he was trying to break the speed of sound.

Arthur's head pounded as he opened the car door, still trying to decipher all of the things Feliciano had said and not quite ready to deal with the overly tipsy Frenchman in his car. As he sat down in the driver's seat, Francis looked up, his face red from crying with tear stains coating his cheeks. A strong smell of wine wafted off of him making Arthur's stomach crawl in disgust. The look Francis gave Arthur mad him feel a tug of sympathy for the man even though he didn't understand what had caused such a dramatic reaction. The smell wafted over Arthur again and he began to worry. Despite this, Arthur started the car and drove off.

"What's wrong Francis?" He asked, keeping his voice controlled and trying to focus on the road. Maybe a broader question could help pry some more answers. For a second time in a matter of minutes, Arthur was assaulted with a speech that was entirely too complicated and full of holes to understand completely.

"You don't even look at me full in the face like you care. Why would I have ever fallen for your charm, you're no different than you were back when we were kids, you...what's that word you use? Wanker? I've dated so many other guys and you were by far the best. Treated me like a human. At least at first until you won't even give me a chance anymore. Is it really so bad to sleep with someone on the second date? I mean, you were having a good time and I was having a good time, or at least you seemed like it. You weren't serious about all the things you said, were you? Should I really have just left your house when you told me to? What did I do wrong?" Throughout his whole rant, Francis had been wildly swinging his arms as he spoke. The car had practically became a war zone for Arthur who was trying not to curse at the traffic.

Those last questions Arthur could comprehend, but why on earth it had bothered Francis so much was still a mystery. He figured the best approach was to try and ease his mind and clear up the questions about their previous date and see where they stood then.

"I did have a good time with you Francis. And I was only joking. Otherwise you wouldn't have been allowed to stay. But that wasn't the case…" He was cut off abruptly when Francis draped himself dramatically over the dash and began sobbing loudly. Arthur sighed as Francis continued complaining.

"All my other dates, people are on me within minutes and they at least have the decency to call me back the next day! I'm good in bed, Arthur! I can show you!"

At that Francis had attempted to remove Arthur's shirt while he was still driving, causing Arthur to swerve unexpectedly as he was not prepared for Francis to physically touch him.

"Get your hands off me!" Arthur shouted. He felt a pang of guilt and Francis' eyes narrowed and he looked dejectedly out the window.

"I'm never going to find anyone." Francis said as he sobbed into the arm he had laid on the window. Arthur sighed, yet again. It was all a bit dramatic for him, but it didn't seem like Francis was faking it. Not that he could tell anyway. His brain told him to leave it alone, that nothing he could say at the moment could actually cheer Francis up in his current state. But his heart got the better of him.

"That's not true, there are plenty of guys that would be perfect for you." As soon as the words left his mouth he realized that his comment was probably the exact opposite of helpful. Arthur closed his eyes only as briefly as driving would allow and braced himself for Francis' lashing he was surely about to receive. This was what happened when Arthur let his heart do the talking. He had been doing so well to avoid that too.

Francis predictably sobbed even louder before saying, "See? I knew it! You don't want me! It was all just a ruse. You cheeky….[insert French cursing].

The words being shot at him made Arthur's eyes bulged. He couldn't believe how many curse words the man could string together and how quickly he was changing languages while doing it. There was no way to stop Francis' tirade given how inebriated he was, but Arthur tried not to hold it against him.

One good thing that came from Arthur's crass comment was that some his questions were answered as Francis ranted. It appeared that Francis really had terrible luck with his previous relationships. One woman, from what Arthur could understand, had called Francis several creative and degrading names in front of a crowd when he had tried to kiss her in public. Another had ignored Francis completely after 3 weeks of dating and finally Francis figured out that the man was cheating on him. Yet another had actually had the gall to strike Francis when he had surprised him with a gift at the man's office. Even though Francis was currently directing his tirade at Arthur, he found that his blood still boiled in rage. What sort of person went around hitting people they were supposedly dating? Luckily, in that instance, Francis' friends had helped him out, although he didn't exactly say how exactly. Instead he just smiled in a manner that suggested maybe their chosen method wasn't exactly socially acceptable.

Arthur parked the car and led Francis to the door of his flat. At this point Francis was mumbling under his breath, but he kept shooting Arthur angry stares, making Arthur's face burn.

"Alright, in you go." Arthur said, as he up to the front door with Francis slung over his shoulder.

He hadn't made it through the front door when he felt his shirt begin to move around his midsection and realized that Francis was trying to undress him while they were still outside!

"Francis, NO! CUT IT OUT!" Arthur bellowed while attempting to push Francis off of him. The shouting got his attention though, and Francis looked him square in the eye before ripping into Arthur one last time.

"YOU'D MAKE A HORRIBLE FATHER!" Francis shouted, matching Arthur's loudness, but with a much harsher edge to his voice. Then Francis slammed the door in his face and Arthur could hear a soft thump on the door and the sounds of Francis' continued sobbing.

Arthur's heart slowly turned into ice as he stood frozen in the doorway. The words painfully etched into his mind until it was the only thing he could hear anymore. It even drowned of the sounds Francis was making through the door. Numbness slowly crept to every inch of Arthur's body as the harsh statement began to make him question everything he had previously thought about adopting the kids.

For the second time that day, Arthur heard the voice before he saw the man. This time, the voice was one from a distant memory. One Arthur had been dreading to hear for many years.

"You took care of him I assume?"

Arthur turned as quickly as his body allowed, which was about half as fast as a glacier in winter. The numbness that had been spreading slowly now quickly pierced every fiber of his being in a fraction of a second. The man that stood before him had soft, wavy brown hair, brilliant green eyes, and a stance that suggested he was halfway to sitting in a recliner reading his favorite book.

"I…I..uh…" Arthur fumbled for words. This was the very last person he had expected to see at Francis' doorstep. Not to mention one he was hoping he would never have to face again if at all possible. Apparently it wasn't.

"Don't worry. I know you didn't hurt him." Antonio said. It made no sense to Arthur why the man was standing there with a large grin on his face. Almost as if he was happy to see Arthur.

"What makes you think that?" Arthur asked. He was highly skeptical that Antonio really didn't believe he had hurt Francis. Especially not after Francis had yelled at him like that. The names he had called Arthur would have made anyone thing Arthur had abused him. But for whatever reason, Antonio, of all people, didn't seem to think that. The people in the park certainly didn't seem to think Arthur was innocent. Not judging from their stares. Then again, Feliciano at least seemed pleased that he was trying to take Francis home. Even so, there was no reason for Antonio to believe Arthur had done nothing wrong. Not after what he had done to Antonio so many years ago.

Antonio sighed before answering. "He's been like this for a while. Trying to date people, but he'd been so afraid. After the last one…." Antonio trailed off as his eyes drifted towards the ground.

"The one who hit him?" Arthur asked.

"He told you then?" Antonio answered Arthur's question with another. "Yes, after him. Well, Francis really hasn't been the same since."

Everything was slowly adding up for Arthur. The way Francis had been so eager to sleep with him down to him freaking out because Arthur hadn't called him fast enough. If Francis had been in an abusive relationship or if he had been neglected, he'd probably be scared of a lot of things.

"He seemed to like you though." Antonio added. Arthur couldn't do much but stare at Antonio who was smiling at him without a care in the world. How that smile stayed on his face, Arthur didn't know.

"I…uh…I just tried to be nice to him." It was all Arthur could think to say, but it was true. He was just trying to be polite. He'd learned the importance of being polite and respectful to others, and Antonio was the one who had taught him the most about that. It may have been a painful lesson at the time, but Arthur was proud of who he had become because of everything.

And it was exactly that sentiment which kept telling him that he needed to show Francis even more kindness. Arthur had seen first-hand what being in an abusive relationship could do to someone, and he also knew the best way to help was to find people who loved and supported you.

"I know, he was telling me all about it. He kept going on and on about how you didn't mind his more...feminine habits. In fact, you encouraged them. It's more than he's ever expected from anyone." Antonio smiled again, but this time it squeezed Arthur's heart painfully. He didn't deserve to be treated this nicely.

"Did…did you tell him?" Arthur asked as he silently pleaded that Antonio hadn't told Francis about their shared past. He wouldn't have blamed Antonio if he had, it was sheer selfishness that made Arthur ask that question. It was going to be his undoing if Antonio had though. Arthur was certain he wouldn't have been able to face Francis ever again if he had found out through Antonio. "Is that why he's scared of me?"

"No. He was so happy about it and I didn't want to ruin that. I actually do believe you were kind to him, you know. Francis hasn't smiled like that in ages." Antonio told Arthur. Arthur just stared and he felt his eyes dry out from not blinking for a few moments. It was completely unfathomable to Arthur that Antonio had forgiven him. Ever. Arthur was not sure he would have forgiven someone if they had done that to him.

"Um…thanks…I guess. I will tell him eventually. I promise." Arthur said. He wasn't really sure why he wanted to tell Francis. Maybe it was just because Antonio was standing right in front of him and he wanted to communicate that he had changed since then. However, for some reason, Arthur thought that telling Francis was the right thing to do. Eventually. When Arthur was ready for it or it became important.

"You don't have to you know." Antonio said. He really was being too generous for Arthur, he thought as tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. Arthur took a moment to compose himself before answering.

"I probably should anyway." With that, Arthur couldn't look at Antonio in the face anymore as his chest tightened in shame. They bid each other farewell and Antonio went inside to comfort Francis while Arthur walked to his car to drive home. He didn't look back, but he heard the door close behind him with a small click. Arthur let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. He didn't know how Francis knew Antonio. It scared him to think that he'd have to see Antonio again in the future if Arthur was going to see Francis again. But that thought also made him realize that he wasn't going to let that stop him.

He realized that this was his chance. Arthur would be able to prove to Antonio that he had changed. Although, Antonio already seemed to believe he had. Maybe Arthur was just doing it for himself. He thought about all the awful things he had done when he was younger all the way from putting a frog in Francis' drink to that night with Antonio. The thought sent shivers down his spine. Arthur looked at his hands as he sat in the front seat of his car, but all he saw was an image of blood stains. In order to stop the image, Arthur gripped the steering wheel tightly turning his knuckles white.

When he finally arrived home, Arthur couldn't remember how he had gotten there. He had just kept driving without consiously thinking about his actions. It was almost a surprise he had not crashed, although he supposed anything out of the ordinary would have caught his attention. Nothing else seemed important right now though. All Arthur could think about was what he should do about Francis...and about Antonio.

At some point he thought that it would be best to leave well enough alone. Leave Antonio and Francis alone, they would surely be fine without him. Antonio was clearly looking out for Francis. Surely he didn't need Arthur's help. But then Arthur thought about Francis crying. About all of his past relationships that had made him so scared today. How it couldn't have been coincidence that Antonio was there as well. Arthur bit his lip until it was painful. He tried half-heartedly to start dinner, going back to something he felt comfortable making. Spaghetti since he had instructions from a professional now.

At this point, he wasn't sure what he should do. The thought of Antonio hating him was what he had feared most, but today Antonio hadn't seemed to mind. In fact, he almost seemed happy that Arthur had taken Francis home. Arthur still did not understand this, and he realized that this was really the only thing preventing him from helping Francis. Which was ironic because Antoino's words were what had made Arthur want to help him at all. Otherwise Francis was just over-emotional without a good reason. But Antonio had given it a clear and understandable reason. Why did it have to be him though?

Then Arthur thought about Francis' last words to him, which still stung. He winced as the words echoed in his head once again. He really didn't believe Francis' had said those words based on evidence other than maybe how awful Arthur had been in their childhood days. Arthur sort of assumed that had been left behind them though. At least, it didn't seem like a big deal on their blind date or when Francis was teaching him how to cook. But perhaps not. Arthur still found facing Antonio to be painful, so maybe Francis still found facing Arthur to be a little painful as well.

He had already burned his dinner by the time he came to those conclusions and could let his frantic mind rest. The day couldn't get much worse. He had not only greatly upset the person he had been dating without reason which he had wanted to avoid at all costs. But he'd also been reminded of the person he used to be. Now Arthur had to choke down an awful dinner.

As he slowly chewed the blackened meal, he couldn't stop himself from remembering the cooking lesson he had with Francis. He'd been able to make a decent meal then, but that was because he was finally paying attention. Before meals had just been about consuming calories and nutrients. Arthur hadn't ever paid attention to the details of cooking. Francis almost made it an art.

He thought this as charcoal-like meal swirled around in him mouth.

Finally, he spit out the sorry excuse for food and went out alone for dinner. On the way, he kept asking himself how he could make Francis believe that he would be a good father. If Francis didn't believe it, Arthur wasn't sure he could believe it either. The entire time, thoughts of Antonio haunted him.


	4. Chapter 4

Still drafts, but this chapter was actually written before the previous chapter, so I'm SURE there are inconsistencies.

* * *

It had been a few day and Francis still could not get the thought of Arthur out of his mind. He had probably been a little bit too harsh, but it was so damned frustrating. Everyone Francis had been with before had always been on him within a day, what was wrong with Arthur? Francis had not been able to provide a reasonable answer, and his fear of the unknown had caused him to finally explode.

He tried brushing it off. It was easier to ignore in the kitchen, even though that still managed to remind Francis of the fleeting time he spent with Arthur, but it was better than the quiet of the classroom as there was too much time in between talking and allowing the children to work on an activity he had set out for them. Not only that, but Matthew was a constant reminder of Arthur as well, although at least the child never talked about him, not to Francis at least. He did catch a brief sentence that day as Matthew talked happily to another child about the cupcakes his soon-to-be dad had brought him.

That was an unpleasant knife in Francis' heart. He really did feel bad for making such ridiculous accusations of Arthur, but his fear and temper had gotten the best of him. It wasn't worth dwelling on though. Francis would rather protect himself from another abysmal relationship with someone who wouldn't even look at him the way Francis looked at them. He smiled softly at the thought of Arthur whispering into his ear on their first date. Sure, maybe Arthur had paid more attention to Francis than anyone else ever had, but that obviously didn't mean anything. Only the kids mattered to Arthur.

Francis thought this as he noticed Matthew start to walk towards his desk, looking cheerfully at Francis as he brought his project for him to grade. It wasn't much, Francis was teaching them about math by having them glue different colored buttons and whatnot onto each side of the paper, representing both sides of an equation. He found the kids learned faster when they got to make crafts and generally have fun with their homework.

Matthew spoke softly as he presented Francis with his button math, "Daddy wanted me to give this to you." He had said it so brightly, it took Francis a moment to respond. Surely Arthur hadn't given him a second thought after he left his house the other day.

Francis took Matthew's assignment as the small piece of paper that had a small rose attached to it. Without thinking, Francis placed the rose on his desk and read the short letter.

"Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;"

Go to the place of our first date to receive the next clue. Don't eat dinner. Leave at 7pm.

He furrowed his brown in confusion at the strange letter. The second part was self-explanatory, but the Robert Frost poem threw Francis for a loop. He looked up to ask Matthew what was going on.

"Daddy said he's sorry for the other night, and he wanted to make it up to you. Said something about no funny business though." Matthew scrunched his face at the last sentence before smiling is his always sweet manner. "Please come tonight," he added with a squeak in his voice before turning and skipping off back to his seat.

Unbelievable, Matthew had even called Arthur "daddy". Francis sighed at the idea of having to apologize for his outburst. He was starting to get an idea of how unfair he had been to Arthur, but it still didn't answer his questions about why Arthur was avoiding sleeping with him. Maybe going to this thing tonight was a chance for him to understand though. Wait, did Matthew invite him? It almost sounded like he was going to be there as well.

That thought thoroughly confused Francis. He continued mulling over the strange invitation all day, but didn't bother to question Matthew any further on the subject. It's not like he could get anything out of him the first time through. When Matthew wanted it to be a surprise, it was going to be a surprise. Unless Alfred interfered.

Francis briefly thought about trying to find Alfred and squeeze the information out of him, but Arthur had said he could only manage to bribe Alfred with Twinkies, and where on earth was Francis supposed to get Twinkies in Europe? Oh well, it was easy enough to follow the instructions.

Finally, the day drew to an end and he bid his students goodbye. He packed a few items into his satchel before leaving the classroom. Luckily, it wasn't a night where he was working at the restaurant after school, but he assumed Arthur had found that out the same way he had found out Francis was working at the restaurant the first time.

After waiting anxiously in his own home, 7pm finally came around and Francis drove up to the restaurant where their first date had taken place, knots twisting in his stomach, almost hoping that he wasn't actually going to have to face Arthur yet. Francis sat in the car for a while, breathing deeply, trying to prepare his apology. Had the man really gone through all of this trouble just to make it up to him? Arthur wasn't even the one who had done anything really wrong, Francis was starting to believe that maybe he just didn't understand why Arthur had been avoiding sex so far. He had started to suppose that maybe, just maybe, there was a reason he hadn't been able to find anyone who loved him as much as he loved them.

It took Francis another minute before he finally got out of the car and walked to the front of the restaurant. The hostess that had been there the other night greeted him at the door.

"Oh, of course. I remember you!" She said.

Francis tilted his head, "Were you waiting for me?"

"Well yes actually. Here." She handed Francis a small bag filled with what looked like dinner. "The man you were with the other evening came by and asked me to give these things to you."

"Thank you." Francis said. Normally he would have been more charming, but the events of the evening were unfolding in such a bizarre manner, he simply forgot his normal pleasantries.

"But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,"

Glad you made it this far. Go to the empty field on the edge of town. We're waiting for you.

"We're". So maybe Matthew was there. Probably Alfred too. The newest letter did nothing to answer any of Francis' questions, but it gave him a little more motivation to continue. With the second part of the poem, Francis was starting to believe that maybe Arthur was trying to tell him something, but beyond thinking it had something to do with sex, Francis could not for the life of him figure out what he was trying to say. It was a mystery that had to be answered.

Francis barely remembered to thank the lovely hostess before he left the restaurant. By this time, his heart was beating furiously. The amount of effort Arthur had already put into Francis was becoming more and more clear. His hands started shaking as he gripped the steering wheel to leave. The words he had shouted at Arthur the last time he had seen him coming to the surface of his thoughts.

Why was Arthur even giving him another chance? Why hadn't he just forgotten about Francis altogether? It was those thoughts alone the kept him moving forward. Perhaps Arthur could forgive him for being so incredibly rude.

He drove in silence to where the small letter had instructed him to go, cutting the radio off as the thoughts churned in his head. A short while later, Francis cut the engine to his car as he pulled up into an empty parking lot. The letter had claimed that Arthur and company would be here, but there was no sign of anyone around.

A flicker of light caught the corner of his eye over the small hill off to the left. Francis almost wasn't sure he had seen it correctly before it flashed once again, shining directly into Francis' eyes. He squinted against the light. Was there nothing about this night that was going to start making sense?

He got out of the car, with no better instructions or hint to go off of and followed the flickering light. It looked like a torch, judging by the erratic nature of the light's movement across the grass. As Francis breached the small hill, he saw a truck with two small heads sticking over the top. The heads started giggling furiously and one of them was shining the light at Francis' feet.

"Come on!" Matthew said excitedly. His voice was still soft, but the excitement was clear in his voice.

Francis started a slow descent down the hill. Even though he was now clearly at his destination, he still had no idea what to expect. What could he possibly be expected to do in a truck in the middle of a field with two children? What kind of date was this?

He walked around to the bed of the truck where the kids seemed to be standing as they peered over the top. Alfred, who had been in charge of the torchlight, shined the beam of light into the bed so Francis could see. His heart stopped beating completely when he saw what Arthur and the twins had prepared for him.

The bed of the truck was full of pillows and blankets, all varying shapes and sizes and some looking oddly like couch cushions. Arthur was in the middle of the makeshift truck fort, smiling kindly. Both Alfred and Matthew sat down next to him, Alfred giggling wildly and Matthew laughing softly as he watched Alfred.

"So dawn goes down to day." Arthur said simply.

"Nothing gold can stay. Yes, it's Robert Frost, but what on earth did you send me on this wild goose chase for with this silly little poem." Francis was dying to know what this was all about.

"I just wanted you to know that there's more to a relationship than…well…" Arthur glanced down at the children before adding, "Some of the more physical aspects."

That didn't exactly answer his question, but if they were going to broach the subject, maybe it was best to talk about it when the kids weren't listening.

"Daddy said we could join you on your date this time!" Matthew squeaked happily. Francis turned his attention to the children.

"Oh did he? And what exactly are we doing on this date now?" Maybe he could get some answers from the kids.

"WE'RE LOOKING FOR ALIENS!" Alfred shouted, raising his tiny fists in the air as high as he could manage. At that, Matthew rolled his eyes.

"Please, there's no such thing. We're just stargazing."

"Yes there are such a thing as aliens! Just because _you've_ never seen one doesn't mean they don't exist."

"Settle down, no fighting you two. We're here to stargaze, but if Alfred manages to find an alien then it's just a happy coincidence." Arthur finally interrupted the twins bickering. Francis' heart fluttered in his chest as the kindness Arthur spoke to the children with. He had been so, so, so very cruel to him.

"Arthur, I'm sorry." Francis could feel tears begin to well up in his eyes. His chest tightened as he thought once again how wrong he had been. Arthur waited, his shoulders slumped slightly as he looked Francis in the eye. "I shouldn't have said such horrible things to you."

"Don't worry about that now, we're here to have a good time." Arthur smiled. Even though it was dark, the light from the torch shining away from their faces, Francis could still make out some of his features. But it was Arthur's tone, the steadiness in his low voice that told Francis to stop fretting. Instead of saying anything more, Francis climbed into the bed of the truck, settling himself into a particularly soft pillow close to Arthur's side. Some more of his tension left as Arthur put an arm around him, holding onto his waist.

"Now boys, why don't you show Francis the constellations you know."

"Ooh oh!" Matthew jumped up, "That one there is Ursa Major! The big bear. Rawwr." He brought his hands up to his face making claws as he growled at Francis. Matthew's soft voice sharply contrasted with the idea of a bear he was trying to intimidate. Francis chuckled softly.

"What a scary bear!" He replied, making Matthew giggle and look up innocently at him with large, almost purple eyes in the dim light.

It was Alfred's turn to point out a constellation, "Oh yeah, well if you're a bear, I'm Orion! The hunter! Don't worry, fair maiden! I will save you from the bear!" Alfred jumped on top of Matthew and they both burst into a fit of giggles.

"Noooo." Matthew called as Alfred fake stabbed him with an invisible sword. Then Matthew put on a very dramatic act of falling over dead and lay motionless.

"Ha ha! The hero saves the day again!" Francis gave Alfred his very best mock swoon before glancing over at Matthew, noticing a faint smile on the child's face.

"Matthew it's your turn!" Alfred said, bouncing up and down. Matthew remained completely still though.

"Matthew?"

"Oh darn, it looks like you've actually killed Matthew this time." Arthur chimed in, pursing his lips to hide the smile that was threatening to break onto his face.

Alfred looked horrified, "What? NO! MATTIE WAKE UP! DON'T DIE ON ME!" Francis himself was now having a hard time suppressing his laughter as Alfred tried to shake Matthew awake and Matthew stubbornly refused to stop playing dead. Alfred's shaking jostled Matthew so much that his eyes fluttered open and he couldn't fake being totally dead anymore so he settled on mortally wounded.

"Leave me, brother!" It was so overly dramatic and yet so adorable, "I am not long for this world."

"No! Matthew I'm sorry! I didn't mean to kill you, please don't die!" Finally Matthew couldn't continue to suppress his own giggles. Alfred stood there stunned as he realized Matthew had been pulling his leg.

"You're so gullible, Al." Matthew said as innocently as he could given his recent trickery.

"I am not!" Alfred said confidently. He crossed his arms and pouted his lips.

"Yes you are, you didn't even stab me with anything. How could I possibly die?" Matthew's eyes were going to roll right out of his head. Arthur started laughing more loudly and then Francis couldn't contain his own laughter any longer.

"Yeah, well….what if had been the aliens?" Alfred tried desperately to defend himself. The amount of eye rolling coming from Matthew was seriously astounding. Was this really the kid he kept talking about so endearingly in school?

The night continued much in the same way, even throughout the meal Francis had brought for everyone. It was an hour or two after eating when both of the twins finally passed out from exhaustion. Alfred was curled up next to Arthur, and Matthew next to Francis, burying his head in Francis' side. Now that it had quieted down, Francis could actually begin to enjoy how pleasant the night was. For a long time, neither Arthur nor Francis spoke a word. Partially to make sure that they didn't wake the kids, and partially because Francis didn't want to talk about the unpleasant previous date.

"You know, every day could be like this." Arthur finally broke the silence, being as quiet as possible. His arm was still around Francis, but suddenly it felt much warmer against his side than it had all night. Francis looked Arthur in the eyes, startled by how green they appeared in the light of the torch and by the statement itself.

"Are you ever going to tell me what those letters were about?" Francis couldn't stop himself from asking the question. He had been dying to know all day.

Arthur sighed, not in exasperation, but more like he had been expecting the question. Francis hardly breathed throughout the whole explanation.

"I know…I know you were upset that I wasn't sleeping with you. I wanted you to know it's not because I don't find you attractive or anything. I've had some of the most excellent dates with you out of anyone. Which is why I wanted to do this right. I don't know what your previous relationships have been like, but when you go too fast, it has a tendency to burn out quickly."

Francis was beginning to put the pieces together, but it wasn't all quite making sense yet. "Are you trying to equate sleeping together with gold?"

Arthur shrugged, "In a way, you could say that."

Ok, that was one piece, but it still didn't make complete sense, Arthur continued, "Gold is selfish, greedy…materialistic. When you focus on the gold, you miss the parts of the relationship that can sustain it throughout the years."

"I mean, I know there's more to a relationship than just sex, mon ami. But why does that mean it has to wait? Why can't you just love someone fully from the beginning? Why isn't love gold itself?"

Arthur thought for a moment. Francis gave him time to collect his thoughts and formulate a response. "There are other precious things in the world besides gold. Things that last a lot longer. Diamonds for example. It's important to spend time making sure you nurture all of the precious parts of a relationship before settling on the shiniest, most obviously valuable thing when there are other, maybe more valuable parts."

Francis was stunned. He had never stopped to consider that maybe sleeping with people on the first date itself had been the reason he hadn't found someone who loved him as deeply as he wished. It had been a long time since Francis was at a loss for words. Arthur tightened his grip on Francis' waist and placed a kiss on his forehead before resting his cheek on the top of Francis' head.

They stayed there like that all night. Francis silently coming to terms with the idea that Arthur actually did love him. That it wasn't all a ruse. He drifted off to sleep with dreams of a new life involving Arthur and the two adorable kids that had fallen asleep on top of them.

[something about the animals noises at night]


	5. Chapter 5

Well I already see notes in this one. Ok, the first section is a little thing I had written for this story, and at the end I'll explain where I was going.

* * *

[Opening dream sequence]

The sound of screaming pierced Arthur's ears. The world tilted dangerously and the person next to Arthur vomited, splattering Arthur's shoes with warm liquid. He didn't want to look, but curiosity got the better of him. Despite the room spinning around him, Arthur managed to look down and saw that it wasn't just vomit that covered his shoes. It was bright red and much too slick.

Arthur choked back a gasp, trying to regain his bearings.

"T…Toni?" Arthur said, but his voice was harsh and cracked in the dry air.

The walls around Arthur and the man that was with him began to close in around him. Black ink dripped from the ceiling, coating the walls in dark grey, filling in the gaps with trickling rivulets of bleak despair.

"Toni's not here," the man beside Arthur croaked.

"Where is he?" Arthur asked. His throat was devoid of moisture as he breathed in. The air was stale and smelled of dirt, sweat, and something metallic. Arthur tried not to panic as the room wavered in colors he had never seen and couldn't name despite the walls slowly becoming blank with black.

The man didn't answer at first, but instead cackled at Arthur. The rasping sound of his voice made the hairs on the back of Arthur's neck stand on end.

"In hell."

The way the man said it made Arthur sure that Antonio was no longer among the living. He tried to take a step forward, to run, to find Toni, to get away from the man. Arthur wasn't sure. All he knew was the he needed to move. Now.

But he couldn't. His feet were stuck to the ground. Arthur strained, trying to even lift one foot off the ground, or perhaps wiggle his feet out of his shoes. Nothing he did made any difference. He was completely immobile. Arthur, looked down to try and see what was preventing him from moving.

At first, he didn't understand what he was seeing. The liquid that had been covering his feet earlier was now up to his ankles, but it was solid. Yet still liquid somehow. The surface rippled when Arthur tried to move his feet, but the substance keep him rooted.

"What is this?!" Arthur shouted in horror. He had almost forgotten the man was still there. Had he been thinking clearly, he would have realized that he didn't want an answer.

"It's all the blood you've spilled."

[man doesn't have a face]

"Arthur! Wake up!"

Arthur woke with a start, gasping for breath. The edges of his vision blurred as he tried to blink the sleep from his eyes. Finally, he spotted Francis. He looked around as saw the children still asleep at their sides. Once he realized where he was, Arthur took a long, deep breath.

"Are you alright?" Francis' voice finally broke through to Arthur as he realized Francis was worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Arthur knew he must have been making noises in his sleep because of the dream. He tried so hard to feign content, but he could feel tears fill his eyes and his chest quivered trying to hold back a sob.

"You were having a nightmare. You kept saying 'It wasn't me! I didn't do it!'"

Arthur tried to shrug it off. The last thing he wanted was to think about the dream some more.

"It must have been a bad dream," he replied.

"Do you not remember any of it then?"

Arthur paused for a moment, weighing the consequences of tell Francis about his past. The morning was gray around them. Fog sat in the air like a blanket, brushing Arthur's nose with dew. There was no noise from the animals around them. Whether they were still asleep or simply suffocated in the air, Arthur didn't know.

"No. I don't remember any of the dream."

It was too early he reasoned. Arthur didn't know Francis well enough to entrust him with that information. Arthur had never told anyone. Why should he tell someone he had only spent a few days with? It would be better to wait and see how Francis reacted to other things first. There would be time to tell him later.

And still, part of him ached from the lie.

"Maybe it is better that you don't remember then. It didn't sound pleasant." Francis said. Arthur's heart clutched as he understood Francis was accepting his lie.

The two sat quietly as the sun peaked over the horizon, burning through the mist. The air began the clear.

"I believe in second chances," Arthur said.

* * *

Ok so, my plans for this:

Obviously, Arthur has had some sort of trauma in the past. I was thinking there was a night at a costume party with Antonio. At some point, they were going to go sleep together, but Arthur blacked out and attacked Antonio. You would have found out at the very end that he had been roofied by the 2p! France. But it was going to be the source for him feeling inadequate and being afraid of committing to the relationship since he thought it was his own doing for the longest time. At the end, he would have confronted the 2p! France and realized he wasn't a terrible person.

On Francis' end, he's the one that just got out of an abusive relationship. With 2p! England. At least I thought it was clever. =P Anyway, the 2p! England was still stalking him. At some point, the 2p! would have found out he was dating Arthur pretty seriously and possibly attacked Arthur. In my head, it played out in a grocery store, idk why, it probably would have changed. But that would have been the reason Francis is so clingy and demanding of sex at first. Because that's what the 2p! England made him feel like his only worth was. Arthur would be good for him and he would have leveled out in the second part of the fic.

In my head, it culminated with the 2p! England attacking Arthur for dating Francis. Makes him feel bad for attacking Antonio probably. Then the 2p! France would come out since the 2p! are likely friends. You'd find out about what happened to Arthur. Francis would come at some point because him and Antonio have figured out that 2p! England has shifted his focus (they know he's been stalking Francis, that's why Antonio shows up at his door when he does). And they each would have fought their own inner demons.

And of course, get married and adopt Matthew and Alfred.

I know that some people like the 2p! characters, and want to think of them as fluffier versions. But for me, considering what the story became about, I thought it was an interesting idea to have the 2p! be a representation of what Francis and Arthur COULD have been like. They're not bad people, but they don't really see themselves that way.

And as I've said before, if I had gotten there, things might have evolved or changed. It has a tendency to happen in my longer fics I'm finding.

I hope this helps, and again, I'm really sorry. I did what I could.


End file.
